Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/153

 BAIJI. 129 Wei, he declined to send his son to Court, sending his uncle Shun Chien instead, to Pingchung, then the capital of Wei. The name of Baiji became prominent in 345 A.D., by which time it had gradually swallowed up all its fifty-three neighbouring clans of Mahan, and it was now able to hold its own against Gaogowli. It occupied the lands east of the Datong Oang,aiid west of the Han Gcmg, its capital being in Qiimgi Do, in which Sheool, the modem capital, is situated. Bien Jian * and GJia hem were compelled to unite into one kingdom in the extreme east and south of the Corean peninsula ; for otherwise they would have been wholly unable to cope with Gaoli on their north-west, or Baiji on their west. The name adopted by these two Han was SiNLO, whose lands were and are the warmest and richest in the peninsula. In the year 345, Sinlo suffered severely at the hands of Baiji ; but at a subsequent period of its history, it extended far north, and embraced a good deal of Baiji soil. In the fifth century, Baiji incurred the displeasure of Wei, — probably because it dared to be independent A large Wei army was sent to teach it proper manners ; but Baiji stoutly refused it admittance, and the army had to retreat They became better friends after the fight ; for, two years after, the King of Baiji was nominated by Wei, " Great General Protector of the East"" For over five hundred years, the affairs of China were in a most deplorable condition. There were never less than three, i^ere were often seven, and once seventeen, self-styled Emperors, competing for power ; and the "dogs of war'' were never asleep. Perhaps it was not much, if any, worse than the condition of Europe at the same time ; bujL it was anything but the picture of a well-regulated, peaceful country, such as some western writers have for their own purposes declared it to have been. In the very end of the sixth century, however, the native S wi dynasty, succeded in trampUng down the last of its competitors, and the rent gar- ment of China was again, with bloody fingers, stitched together, —but the needle was a coarse one. As soon as Tang, king of Gaob', heard of the complete success
 * SeeMftpI.